This Is The Kit is the project of the UK-born, Paris-based artist Kate Stables. Ahead of the release of her latest record, Careful Of Your Keepers, she put together this playlist in celebration of her favorite streaming platform: Bandcamp. Take a peek into her collection and check out these tracks — and check out the new record, out this Friday on Rough Trade.
— Annie Fell, Editor-in-chief, Talkhouse Music
Horse Lords — “Bending to the Lash”
This is one of my favorite tracks from one of my favorite bands ever. I will never tire of seeing these guys live. I feel like it’s all I need.
Alabaster dePlume — “Salty Road Dogs Victory Anthem”
I love these people and I love this track. The magic and madness that touches you on tour. And the connection that grows between people. This song really represents that for me.
Laundromat — “Humans (demo)” (from the Women Life Freedom: Music For Iran compilation)
This is a really great compilation put together by the band Holiday Ghosts for an excellent and very important cause. And this Laundromat track is a beaut. I really like it when bands share demo/early versions of songs. It shows a nice story and reminds us that there’s no one version of anything.
Naima Bock — “Lines”
Naima Bock’s music is one of my favorite things to listen to these days, and I just can’t get enough of this track. It sweeps me away every time. The music and the lyrics are really moving. Gets you in the gut.
Lorcán — “Everything is Over”
Lorcan is a really great musician from Bristol who’s energy and approach to music I really love. He has a kind of wisdom and openness that is really refreshing. Legend.
LINDE — “Clock Gene”
This is the project of my friend Maaike. She’s an incredibly talented and busy musician from the Netherlands. Around the time after she’d recorded this album, she formed a band to do a small tour and amazingly she asked me if I wanted to join, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. So now, listening to these songs really takes me back to that amazing time. She made the album with her friend Connor from Villagers and it’s a very beautiful record.
John Lely — “Walking North”
This music was brought to my attention by a friend that I follow. That’s one of the things I like about Bandcamp: You can discover new music from what other people you know are listening to. I mean, it’s probably totally the same with other listening platforms, but for some reason I like it better here. It feels a bit more human somehow.
This track is beautifully long and takes you most soothingly far away. I love it.
Blumi — “Everyone heals”
This is my friend Emma who also was in the LINDE band. She’s incredibly talented — she has a beautiful voice and has lots of wisdom and poetry in her songs, AND she’ll be coming on tour with us in Europe in the autumn which I’m really excited about. She’s a frickin’ legend.
Snaarj — “JM”
This is one of the many projects of the amazing musician Dustin Lorenzi from Chicago. I first met him at a festival in Wisconsin where he and some other sax players joined This Is The Kit for our show. He’s so very good and this track just has a magical effect on me. I can’t get enough of it. The pulse, the harmonies, the groove. It’s out of this world addictive.
Lynn Avery and Cole Pulice — “Belt of Venus”
This is from a great release called To Live and Die in Space and Time and it’s an absolute beauty. I discovered Cole Pulice’s music after also meeting him in Wisconsin at the same time as Dustin Lorenzi, and have been hooked on his music ever since. The mix of his and Lynn Avery’s music on this release is just sublime.
Èlg — “Hourra”
One of my favorite people and musicians. Èlg has a proper sense of seriousness and fun. His albums are as terrifyingly beautiful (and disturbing in the best way) as his live shows. He’s also really good at sleight of hand and magic tricks. Totally top.